Canalys announces Channels Forum for APAC

- More than 600 channel partners already confirmed as attending

Palo Alto, Shanghai, Singapore and Reading – Wednesday, 28 March 2012

Canalys today announced that it will host the largest independent channels event APAC has ever seen. The company is bringing its popular Channels Forum from EMEA to APAC and already has tremendous support from the major distributors in the region. The event will take place from 30 October to 1 November 2012 at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore.

Steve Brazier, Canalys President and CEO, said, ‘Not only are the markets in APAC the fastest growing in the world, but for most technology products they are also the largest. The vast majority of technology products are sold through channels and successful vendors need to work with their partners very closely. Senior executives at channel-centric vendors need to engage with their APAC partners in their own territory; the days when partners feel they must connect with vendors by visiting the US are finally over.’

Major distributors will join with Canalys to host this event. Ingram Micro will bring more than 200 of its most important partners to the forum. Shailendra Gupta, President of Ingram Micro Asia Pacific, said, ‘This event will allow us to reward our top partners and give them the opportunity to meet with the top vendors in one convenient location. We are looking forward to building on this forum for many years to come.’

ECS will host around 100 of its leading channel partners at the forum. Mr Narong Intanate, Group CEO of ECS Holdings Limited, said, ‘When Canalys first approached me to join the forum I was intrigued. When I visited the Canalys Channels Forum in EMEA last October, I was very impressed by the sessions that were delivered by industry experts. It was refreshing and gave me many new ideas and perspectives on how to operate my business. I want my channel partners to have that same opportunity, so we are fully committed to making the APAC event a success.’

Nicky Lo, CEO of Synnex, said, ‘We are proud to be supporting this event because it has the needs of the channel at its heart. The forum gives our partners the chance to engage with each other, learn from leading analysts and have discussions with the top vendors. Canalys is unique because it recognizes the vital role that the distributors play in the industry and puts them at the center of the forum.’

Distributors that have confirmed their participation so far include Ingram Micro, ECS, Synnex, Westcon, Express Data, Digital China, Sysage and Lamco. Together they will bring more than 500 of their top customers from Greater China, India, Southeast Asia, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Many leading vendors have already confirmed that they will join the forum. These include Cisco, HP, APC by Schneider Electric, Juniper Networks, Fujitsu, ShoreTel, NEC, Joyent and Autotask. And many more are expected to confirm their involvement in the coming weeks. Put simply: there has never been a channel event in APAC like this one.

Gemma Edwards, Canalys Event Manager, said, ‘We chose Singapore for our inaugural APAC Channels Forum because it is a modern, efficient travel hub, with a wonderful climate and fabulous food, and makes the process of securing visas for our guests very easy. If you have not been to this city recently you will be impressed by how much it has evolved. Singapore is the place to be at the end of October.’

About the event

The Canalys Channels Forum will take place from 30 October to 1 November at the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. Journalists should contact Ezree Inada via press@canalys.com to obtain a press pass. Channel partners should contact one of the participating distributors to secure an invitation. More information about the event can be found at www.canalyschannelsforum.com.

About Canalys

Canalys delivers smart market insights to IT, channel and service provider professionals around the world. Our customer-driven analysis and consulting services empower businesses to make informed decisions and generate sales. We stake our reputation on the quality of our data, our innovative use of technology and our high level of customer service.

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